An interesting story about two women who are partners in the showrunner business in Hollywood. It’s a murder mystery and an engaging look behind the scenes. The characters are well developed. Plenty of angst in a suspenseful way leading to a satisfying ending. Good book by a talented writer.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

I read one review of this novel which said the author (who has a totally cool name!) "...has the uncanny knack of creating stories you can't put down, featuring characters you'd love to be, who say things you wish you could say," but I definitely would not want to be one of these characters or say the things they say. Only one of them is not potentially psychotic! That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it however. The author did create three strong and well-defined characters, although one of them (Ann) seemed rather over the top to me.

I would have preferred a straight-forward story rather than interspersing the Stacey (main protagonist) story with entries from the journal of another (Ann). Those did not work for me because they seemed not only inauthentic, but also not something this particular character would do. It took me out of suspension of disbelief. I really dislike first person voice because it is so inauthentic, and I also dislike diary and journal entries, so this was a double negative for me. The other two perspectives, Stacey's and Jenna's, were much more realistic and readable. While I wouldn't describe it as 'un-put-downable' it definitely did make me want to keep reading.

Another joy was that, just when I feared it would go all chick-lit when Stacey started zeroing in on a guy, the author was smart enough to keep that low-key and focus on the main drama, which I appreciated, as indeed I did the fact that (apart from Ann's journal) this was not first person voice. Finally - an author who gets how weak and annoying that voice is! U shakll build a Moritsugu Shrine! yes! That's what I shall do! Mwahaha!

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, the story is about a TV production company called Two Women Walking, the two women being veteran Ann Dalloni, and up-and-comer Stacey McCreedy, who was the creator of this new show that has become such a success and for which Ann has usurped the credit. The story repeatedly describes the two women as partners and the company as a partnership, but the story is told consistently as though Ann in the boss and Stacey her employee, which made little sense to me, but starting from this resentment, there builds a festering and smoldering mutual antagonism between the aging Ann and the vibrant Stacey which mounts towards what seems to be an inevitable butting-of-heads if not worse.

Each is trying to undermine the other, and it does not help that Ann, without consulting Stacey, has brought on board a young actor, Jenna, who is currently in a slump, and who is happy to work with a veteran like Ann to learn the producing ropes and maybe get back into the acting game through a back door. The story doesn't explain why Ann did not already have an assistant like Stacey does, which was a bit of a plot hole, but no big deal. Jenna finds herself playing piggy-in-the-middle and running thankless and trivial errands for Ann, but she swallows it all down because she has her own agenda.

Frankly I didn't like any of these three woman and would certainly not want to know them in real life (much less be them!), but they made for fascinating characters and a very readable story. The ending was in some ways predictable and in others a surprise, but I can't go into it without giving away spoilers!

The book wasn't all joy though; there were some issues, one of which is a common one in my experience. At one point I read, "...the bottom half of his left bicep was visible..." Unless his skin and muscle is torn and one of the ligaments is hanging out, I doubt that his bicep was visible. I don't doubt that his biceps was if he's quite muscular. 'Bicep' relates to one or other of the muscle attachments to the humerus, and isn't very impressive. The actual bulge in the upper arm is the biceps.

Another issue wasn't a writing problem, but a formatting problem caused by Amazon's crappy Kindle app. I really am not a fan of it (or Amazon in general for that matter), because unlike B&N's Nook app or a PDF file, it will mangle anything that's not plain vanilla text. In this case, the novel was clearly formatted for print, with page headers (book title and author name on alternating pages) which to me is pointless if not pretentious, but it's what publishers do.

Unfortunately, when Amazon gets it hands on this stuff, it can't handle it, and it incorporates the page headers directly into the text! Consequently, I read at one point, "And have KIM MORITSUGU nerves of steel." Hey, I want 'Kim Moritsugu nerves of steel'! Where can I buy them?! This happened quite often and was annoying, I hope it's fixed before the final ebook version becomes available.

There were other issues of improper formatting or poorly written sentences, but not too many, fortunately. At one point I read, "What had Stacey called her when she strolled up to the entrance, looking stylish..." here it wasn't immediately clear who's being stylish, but this is a minor issue. In another section, I read, "...and I know you're in an difficult position" 'An' needs to drop the 'n'. At a different point there was, "Which made feel Jenna victorious." Jenna and feel need to switch places. Also, in a slightly different issue, several weeks pass between chapters 18 and 24 without any real indication of such a huge time, which was a bit confusing!

Finally for me, there was a bit of a problem with how things were resolved at the end. I can't detail it without giving spoilers, but it seemed like the participants were indulging in unnecessary overkill when they could have simply told the truth about what happened, which was all they needed to do. I didn't get why they had to cook up a story. It felt to me like maybe the ending had been changed from what it originally was, an ending that might have needed such a story, but having made the change, the author either didn't realize there was a problem or couldn't think of an easy way out of it, when there actually was really a simple one: tell the unvarnished truth!

But these were relatively minor issues in what was overall a worthy and engrossing story, which I recommend.

Wow! This book was quite the ride. I did enjoy parts of this book but I also think it was a bit predictable.
This book follows two women who are Executive Producers of a popular show on network TV. One woman, Ann, is an aging producer who has built up credibility through decades of work. The second woman, Stacy, is a much younger producer who was once the assistant to Ann. There is constant tension between them as Ann’s main motive is to criticize and sabotage Stacy so that she can remain the top boss. Things progress as Ann spirals further down, lost in paranoia and becomes convinced that Stacy and others are conspiring against her.
Parts of this book had me laughing as it had some fun banter. However, I became frustrated by Stacy never sticking up for herself. Also, as Ann’s paranoia grew, I quickly knew how this would go down.
Despite all that, I did enjoy many parts of this book. I enjoyed the buildup of the characters decent into madness. I thought it was built up well over time and believable in that sense. I enjoyed getting the dual perspectives of the two women. I also enjoyed Jenna as a side character.
This book was fast paced read and very entertaining.

As someone who worked in Hollywood for a number of years, the premise of this book was super intriguing to me. Crazy things happen in the business and the egos are large so it's the perfect setting for a darkly comic tale such as this. Thought the book is not as satirical as I would have liked, I do like the darker tone and the overall setting of the story. It's a quick, easy read-good for lazy afternoon. All of the main characters are not super likable so if you need your characters to be relatable and want root for them, this is not the book for you. I liked the first 3/4 of the novel, but I didn't like the ending. By no means do I think this is meant to emulate real life, but the way the ending played out was so far-fetched. In a way, it fits the novel, but I wish the way the ending happened was different. With all that said, I do appreciate having the chance to read this book and I think if you like Unreal or other Hollywood behind the scenes type books or show, you would like this.

I have enjoyed the story line and the plot. It is well written and enjoyable. Will be checking out more books by this author

Ann and Stacey are business partners who create and produce television shows. Their latest effort is a success but their partnership is failing. Stacey resents Ann treating her like a subordinate; Ann thinks Stacey is trying to usurp her power. The power stuggle is complicated by the entrance of Ann's new assistant who quickly becomes a pawn in the battles. Tensions escalate, alliances are formed and plans are set in motion that will change all three of the women.

It seems like a typical novel set in a glamorous industry, but underneath the glitter, Kim Moritsugu shows the difficulties of successful women who often end up in conflict with each other.

I picked this book up because it reminded me of two things I've love: the YA book series the A-List that I devoured ten years ago and the faux-behind the scenes Bachelor-esque TV series UnReal. Like UnReal, this story follows two television producers who have a relationship that at times resembles that of a mentor and apprentice. However, the characters have a catty Macbethian ambition that grows darker through the book and genuinely surprised me near the end. The author doesn't seem to take her characters too seriously, and the over the top caricatures lend to the lightness of a pretty dark story. Reality TV and Lifetime fans will love this story about grappling for Hollywood power. The characters aren't necessarily likable, but their story sure is fun to read.

Rising-star showrunner Stacey McCreedy wants to become a power player like her former mentor and current partner, Ann Dalloni. her former mentor and current producing partner. Ann, meanwhile, is feeling her age and losing her mind. She will no allow Stacey to rise above her or take control of their company.

The relationship between Ann and Stacey deteriorates causing the staff to choose sides and pick loyalties. Who will have the killer instinct to survive? Great characters, I would love to read another book with these characters, especially given the ending of this book!

The Showrunner tells the stories of Ann, a rapidly aging but very successful t.v. showrunner, her partner Stacey, a young rising star in the television industry and Jenna, a semi-successful actress looking to make it big by working her way in through the backdoor as Ann's assistant. The women all work on a breakout show called The Benjamins produced by Ann and Stacey's company Two Women Walking. But early on it is clear that this is partnership not meant to last as Ann and Stacey can no longer take a walk together much less do anything else without wanting to claw each other's eyes out.

Ann and Stacey are both looking to get each other out of the way and have sole control of the successful show and Jenna is caught between the two and trying to determine who will end up on top.

I liked the behind the scenes look at the entertainment industry a lot. However, none of the characters in the novel were not very likable, so I wasn't very invested in who to pull for.and the third person point of view left me slightly detached. This one ended up being just okay for me.

This was an interesting story, it's my first from this author so I didn't know what to expect in the beginning.The Showrunner was a fun and light read, the three main characters are developed enough, and the plot is just twisted enough !

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. The Devil Wears Prada it isn't. The 3 different women, different in age and career were not appealing either. To be honest I couldn't stand any of them. Ms. Moritsugu may be an excellent author, I couldn't tell from this novel.

The Showrunner is written well enough, the three main characters are developed enough, and the plot is just twisted enough that it's an overall decent beach read. The narrative structure is problematic, as the transitions between the women's stories is muddled, with the exception of Ann's Journal, which didn't work for me at all. On the other hand, the little twist about 3/4 of the way through with Jenna was clever and unexpected.

While it's not in the same league as The Devil Wears Prada, it's fun and easy, and would likely appeal to fans of that and UnREAL on Lifetime-- although the writing is not as tight as either, in my opinion. This book actually shares one of the things that I dislike about UnReal, that characters are dramatically killed, when the world is otherwise mostly realistic, even in its absurdity. The end of The Showrunner is its biggest issue, not only because what happens is absurd, but also because it pulls the rest of the book down and leaves a reader with a bad taste that colors the entire experience.

Just a delightful light read! If you are a fan of TMZ, E! Entertainment or other celebrity rags or if you have wondered how a tv show are put together, you will enjoy this book. the characters are engaging, if a bit stereotypical, and the plot is lots of fun. Perfect book for a mental vacation.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC of The Showrunner in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately this book did not end up being my cup of tea. Even by the halfway mark there was nothing driving the story forward. Also I understand that unlikeable characters are a popular choice these days in books however they still need to be interesting and for a book to be successful, I want to be thinking of the characters and what will happen to them while I'm reading or when I'm done. I did not care for or about any of the characters. This book might be more situted for a light beach read, something to bring on vacation.

This book was okay. I had a hard time really getting I to it. I really appreciated the author's writin style, and it is apparent that she is talented; however, it was hard for me to relate- or even like- any of the characters. I would be open to reading another book from this author, even though this isn't one I will likely recommend widely.

This book is simply okay. I felt that it dragged at the beginning and though it picked up toward the end, I thought the ending was just too over the top. Not a bad book but not one I will be widely recommending.

Disclosure: I read this novel as an ARC and the publisher is also my publisher, but I write nonfiction.
I have to start by saying that this is not the kind of book I usually read. It tells the story of two partners who are showrunners in Hollywood, a place and life is filled with stress, intrigue, sex, backbiting, and nasty competition at all levels. Egos skirmish all the time.
Showrunner is a different kind of murder story, being the prelude rather than the solving of the crime.
I appreciated the clear delineations of the main characters -- their personalities, speech, and motivations. Moritsugo, the author, did this well.
The book is an easy read, ideal for a long haul flight.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an a advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Showrunner was a fun and light read. I liked the 3 main characters in the beginning and wasn't sure which one to root for but as the book went on it started to unravel as it became less believable. I loved the plot until the end and it was fun to read about the behind the scenes of a show. This book kinda reminded me of the show Unreal on lifetime with the behind the scenes drama between the mentor and her protege.

The plot twist brought this book down from 4 stars to 3. If you are looking for something fun to read at the beach I'd recommend it!

This book attempts to be a Hollywood version of The Devil Wears Prada but it doesn’t quite work. The three main characters were all different levels of selfish egomaniacs. I felt no sympathy for any of them and couldn’t root for one to end up on top.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn publishing for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I think this book matches the cover. If you like the cover, you'll like the book. I liked it, but as it went on, I found the plot getting more unbelievable. And the ending just left me feeling a little bit dirty. It's interesting, I loved the behind the scenes showrunner information, I liked the plot...until the end. I especially liked having the alternating narrative, which also involved 3 women at different points in their lives and careers. I'd recommend this, and I think it's an easy, beach or flight type of read. I just wish the ending had been a little less over the top.